Does your Social Anxiety interfere with your Job?
Is social anxiety interfering with your job? Speaking one on one with someone either on the phone or face to face, you may go into a panic mode and begin to stammer, mind goes blank, can’t get your words out and feel embarrassed. You feel they’re judging you. You feel humiliated. Starting or even maintaining a conversation can be extremely stressful.
Do you know the difference between just being shy and having social anxiety?
A surprising amount of people don’t.
Social Anxiety can interfere with employment. Going on job interviews and being in a work environment can be difficult.
Admitting you need help and talking about your feelings is one the bravest things you can do.
Social anxiety is often dismissed as just extreme shyness, the key differences between them are:
- Impairment of functioning that it causes in a person’s life
- Intensity of fear
- Level of avoidance
Job interviews can be challenging for those with social anxiety disorder. Preparation and use of coping strategies can really help.
Shaking/bouncing your legs is a commonly referenced symptom of anxiety, or a sign that you’re feeling stressed and aren’t aware of it. Our minds become stimulated by these negative emotions, and we develop this ‘leg bounce’, which is also known as a tremor.
Some aspects of work itself can be challenging, you fidget, play with your hair, bite your nails, shake your pen back and forth and drum your fingers on the table because it gives your brain something else to focus on.
However, if you choose a job that suits your interests and personality – anxiety is an issue that can be worked on. Social skills training or even reading self-help books about social skills can help you overcome this.
Statistics show that most people suffer in silence for approximately 10 years before seeking help with social anxiety. But there are steps you can take and treatment you can seek to overcome this condition.
Chloe, the newest member of our team has admitted to suffering with SAD. She is attending a webinar in May so will share more tips then.
